Added to my e-bookshelf … The History of British and American Author-Publishers

Through my tenure as an Early Reviewer for LibraryThing, there is only one book that I have failed to read through to the end ... but, there have been a few where I came close, where I persevered and completed my read, cover to cover, even though there were moments I considered calling it quits.

To this small - really, very small group - I am adding Ana Faktorovich’s “The History of British-American Author-Publishers,” published by Anaphora Literary Press.

I read the book through to the end, and I’m glad I did. Faktorovich’s biographical research into the selected author-publishers was exhaustive, and from it I gleaned more that few added glimpses into their lives that were unknown to me before opening the book.

Also ‘exhaustive,’ I’m afraid, is Faktorovich’s pursuit of her thesis about the challenges facing author-publishers over the past 250-or-so years ... corrupt business practices, royal and political censorship, market control and cultivated contempt by what she labels ‘the Big Four’ publishing conglomerates, even the stuff of intrigue - the exhaustive part for me - suggesting the possibility of attempts to corrupt an individual’s mind/body/spirit through various practices, up-to-and-including assassination.

Profile after profile, life story after life story, theory after theory. More than once, I reached a point where I’d think, “sheesh .... okay, I get it ... enough already!”

Some points are totally believable, as they continue to this day ... corrupt business practices, royal/government censorship, market manipulation by conglomerates. But the rest? I’m not so sure.

If there was something to gain from all of this, it was the increased respect I have for individuals who struggled against a variety of challenges to bring their work to the public’s recognition and acclaim ... though in some cases, that all came too late for the individual.

Story by story, chapter by chapter, Faktorovich is consistent in sharing these stories of struggle in a way that earns my added appreciation and respect for these author-publishers ... which is why the last chapter (“Chapter 14: A Quest for Inter-Racial Equality: Alice Walker’s Wild Trees Press”) before her ‘Conclusions’ left me scratching my head. This was one individual whose career - as related by Faktorovich - did NOT gain my respect.

Was it offered as an example of that saying, about “the exception that proves the rule?” I don’t know ... and I have never had much use for that saying, anyway.

To conclude, I recommend this read, and I recommend reading it all the way through. But I also recommend patience, and maybe planning to take a little longer to finish than you might expect ... give yourself time to take a break and catch your breath, maybe enjoy a cup/glass of your favorite beverage, before diving back in.

__________

NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing in exchange for a review.

I am PCUSA … and PRO-Fossil Fuel … Pt. 2

• Part 2 of my argument AGAINST blanket divestment

As the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA meets in St. Louis this year and considers demands for an immediate and total, blanket divestment of the denomination’s investment funds from “fossil fuel producers,” I have to ask … is blanket divestment the answer? Shouldn’t we, instead, consider reinvestment of those funds into responsible – even moral – fossil fuel producers?

Try this … let’s turn the demands around, upon ourselves …

Consider how Christians might respond to a call for a blanket divestment from Christianity, inspired by a variety of things that have taken place in the past, or are taking place right now … things that had (or have) nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus Christ and the kingdom He proclaimed, yet were done (or are being done) in His name, and in pursuit of a very worldly and wrongful pursuit of His kingdom.

Take your pick … go way back to atrocities committed during the Crusades, or to the Inquisition. Or, you can get a little closer to here and now, with “good Christians” embracing slavery in 19th-century America, Nazism in 20th-century Germany, or ongoing demonstrations by Westboro Baptist Church.

How, then, might Christians respond to such a call, for a blanket divestment from our religion, our faith?

Me? My response is that a blanket divestment from Christianity is NOT the answer … and would suggest, rather, a reinvestment. That process would begin with a thoughtful and considered look at Christ’s message, and how that message – and Christ’s love – is being lived and shared by others. Based upon that search, and upon what that search revealed about other Christian gatherings, I would reinvest my heart and my mind, my body and soul into where those others are gathered, and join them in their mission.

This is what comes to mind when I read about those within the Presbyterian Church USA who demand an immediate and total, blanket divestment of the denomination’s investment funds from “fossil fuel producers.” I have to ask … is blanket divestment the answer? Shouldn’t we, instead, consider reinvestment of those funds into responsible – even moral – fossil fuel producers?

Is there such a thing? I think there is, and I would like to suggest some criteria for that … criteria that could be used by PC-USA’s Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) ministry in deciding – on a case-by-case basis – what to do with the church’s investment funds.

• The Producer’s Record on the Environment – There is no lack of local/state/federal government agencies that can provide data on the producer’s record when it comes to environmental impact. How well (or how poorly) does the agency (the EPA, for example) rate the producer? What complaints have been filed, and how well have those complaints been addressed.

• The Producer’s Record in the Workplace – Again, there is no lack of local/state/federal government agencies that can provide data on the producer’s record when it comes to to workplace safety and the producer’s treatment of employees. What is the producer’s safety record with OSHA, for example. This criteria can also be assessed with general data from the producer on pay scale, health insurance, leave policy. You could also look at the producer’s use of a number of amenities showing-up in the workplace … in-house gymnasiums, childcare, walk-in medical clinics, and dining facilities with a menu that includes healthy alternatives.

• A Renewable-Energy Division of the Fossil Fuel Producer – What many people don’t realize is the growing role being played by fossil fuel producers in creating/expanding solar fields, wind farms and other areas of renewable energy.

• Producer’s Voluntary Compliance/Participation – Does the producer voluntarily contribute to and participate in a variety of programs out there that address fossil fuel production in the U.S., and help mitigate the impact of that production? These programs could include efforts to protect/expand habitat areas for listed species of wildlife, restoration of land no longer being used for production, and libraries for the formulas used in such production processes as ‘fracturing.’

• Producer’s Contribution to the Community – How is the producer involved in various facets of the community? This could be through monetary and in-kind contributions to schools and NGOs in the community. It could also be through encouraging employees to contribute their time to community service efforts, and introducing matching grants for employees’ monetary contributions to charities.

• How the Producer is Reducing its Own Carbon Footprint – Whether it’s in construction of new buildings or in the refurbishment of old buildings, is the producer being eco-friendly by incorporating features that reduce energy consumption? Is the same being done in the field by upgrading production equipment and procedures that reduce energy consumption? And what about recycling?

• Producer’s Presence/Record in the Third World – Many of the nation’s larger fossil fuel producers (what we call “the majors”) have operations in in countries outside the United States. When it comes to oversight and regulation of the fossil fuel industry, the U.S. is one of the most challenging countries to do business … many Third World companies have nowhere near the same level of oversight/regulation … if they have any at all. So, what is the producer’s record when it comes to production outside the U.S.?

These are some of my suggested criteria in assessing responsible/moral fossil fuel production. What criteria would YOU recommend?

DISCLAIMER …

Let me give you some idea of my background – the context in which I am composing this post, and future posts on this topic. It’s important to the consideration – if any! – that you will give to what follows …

For the past 34 years, I have lived and worked in and around the city of Midland, in the western region of Texas … smack-dab in the middle of what they call ‘the oil patch.’ There is some cattle and some cotton in the foundation of this community, but most of Midland today is built upon the energy industry, and the production of oil and natural gas plays a major -even predominant role – in our local economy.

I do not work directly for the energy industry … though I have been happily married those same 34 years to someone who is. As for me, I first worked in in this part of Texas as a contract archaeologist … but my vocation has changed more than once with the ups and downs – especially the downs! – in the energy industry over the past three decades. So I have also worked as a television writer/producer, a newspaper reporter/editor, a website/social media manager, and for the past ten years as a website editor for a community college.

This has given me a tremendous opportunity to observe the industry ‘up-close and personal,’ as we used to say in the news business. I suggest that I might have more insight than some others into the industry, its people, its technology and practices, and the changes in said technology and practices. I have seen, reported-on and learned from – to borrow a phrase from a movie title – the good, the bad and the ugly of fossil fuel production … and the beautiful, as well.

Let me qualify that last paragraph, though … my experience observing fossil fuel producers has been exclusively with oil and natural gas. I have no such current experience with the coal industry, and I am not qualified to comment upon changes that may have taken place in their technology and practices. When it comes to coal, all I have to go on are the 55-year-old memories I have of that industry – actually, the remnants of that industry – in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of northeastern Pennsylvania … observations which helped to firmly set my course down the environmentalism path as a teenager way-back-when.

Anyway, that is where I come from. Where I am going, in the weeks ahead, is to develop my pro-fossil fuel thesis, and to suggest options for a position within the Presbyterian Church USA that still promotes protection and restoration of God’s creation, yet encourages responsible – even moral – energy production that includes fossil fuels. Thank you for your time in reading the above. I welcome any comments you wish to make in the space below … regardless of your stance on fossil fuel production. It is my hope that this will be the start of a discussion among those who ultimately share a common goal, a common destination … though for now, we may be reaching it by different paths.

Added to my e-bookshelf … Cyan

The passage of time in the course of advanced space travel – the way that passage varies between the travelers and those they leave behind, and the effect on even the strongest of relationships touched by that variation – has been a popular topic in fantasy and science fiction for a long, long … uh … time.

I remember watching “The Twilight Zone” as a youth, where an episode called ‘The Long Morrow‘ touched upon that effect. And I’ve enjoyed plenty of other treatments of that topic, in a variety of media, in the decades since … including Cynthia Felice’s “Downtime,” which I reviewed for LibraryThing a couple of years ago.

Now comes “Cyan,” written by Syd Logsdon, published by EDGE-Lite and Hades Publications … and a welcome addition to my shelf.

The story begins on Earth, in a not-distant-enough future. It is a world dealing with a variety of problems, many of which can be traced back to what you and I are doing right here, right now. As the population grows and resources dwindle, more and more are convinced that, truly, ‘the end is nigh’ and that the only viable solution is NOT to be found on this planet.

So where is this solution to be found, and how do we get there? What do we find when – if! – we arrive there, and can we truly handle it? Could we adapt, or would we just adhere to the mindset that got us into the problems to begin with?

And I’m not just talking about global issues, but small, personal, even intimate relational issues between individuals, as well. Borrowing a line from Tina Turner, “what’s love got to do with it?”

In “Cyan,” Logsdon provides answers to these and other questions that arise in the course of his story. They are answers that ‘grow’ the story and your interest in it … though there are times when the answers are less-than-encouraging, even as they develop the story -and your interest – further.

Along the way, the reader will meet a cast of characters that run the full gamut of humanity – and more. As the story progresses, two of these characters will emerge as leading protagonists, each with a vision for humanity’s future, and the path to realize that vision … but at what cost? There will be a confrontation of course, though its ultimate resolution might surprise you … it surprised me, and was one of the favorite parts of my read.

I recommend this read. I think Logsdon has brought a new and fresh approach to an established trope of the science fiction genre … and crafted a good story, too.

Will we see some more in the future? Time will tell.

__________

NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing in exchange for a review.

I am PCUSA … and PRO-Fossil Fuel … Pt. 1

• Part 1 of my argument AGAINST blanket divestment

As the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA meets in St. Louis this year and considers demands for an immediate and total, blanket divestment of the denomination’s investment funds from “fossil fuel producers,” I have to ask … is blanket divestment the answer? Shouldn’t we, instead, consider reinvestment of those funds into responsible – even moral – fossil fuel producers?

Let me give you some idea of my background – the context in which I am composing this post, and future posts on this topic. It’s important to the consideration – if any! – that you will give to what follows …

For the past 34 years, I have lived and worked in and around the city of Midland, in the western region of Texas … smack-dab in the middle of what they call ‘the oil patch.’ There is some cattle and some cotton in the foundation of this community, but most of Midland today is built upon the energy industry, and the production of oil and natural gas plays a major -even predominant role – in our local economy.

I do not work directly for the energy industry … though I have been happily married those same 34 years to someone who is. As for me, I first worked in in this part of Texas as a contract archaeologist … but my vocation has changed more than once with the ups and downs – especially the downs! – in the energy industry over the past three decades. So I have also worked as a television writer/producer, a newspaper reporter/editor, a website/social media manager, and for the past ten years as a website editor for a community college.

This has given me a tremendous opportunity to observe the industry ‘up-close and personal,’ as we used to say in the news business. I suggest that I might have more insight than some others into the industry, its people, its technology and practices, and the changes in said technology and practices. I have seen, reported-on and learned from – to borrow a phrase from a movie title – the good, the bad and the ugly of fossil fuel production … and the beautiful, as well.

Let me qualify that last paragraph, though … my experience observing fossil fuel producers has been exclusively with oil and natural gas. I have no such current experience with the coal industry, and I am not qualified to comment upon changes that may have taken place in their technology and practices. When it comes to coal, all I have to go on are the 55-year-old memories I have of that industry – actually, the remnants of that industry – in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of northeastern Pennsylvania … observations which helped to firmly set my course down the environmentalism path as a teenager way-back-when.

Anyway, that is where I come from. Where I am going, in the weeks ahead, is to develop my pro-fossil fuel thesis, and to suggest options for a position within the Presbyterian Church USA that still promotes protection and restoration of God’s creation, yet encourages responsible – even moral – energy production that includes fossil fuels. Thank you for your time in reading the above. I welcome any comments you wish to make in the space below … regardless of your stance on fossil fuel production. It is my hope that this will be the start of a discussion among those who ultimately share a common goal, a common destination … though for now, we may be reaching it by different paths.

Goin’ nuts in Texas

I’m going totally nuts in Texas … and I’m not alone.

It has nothing to do with the company I’m keeping, though there are those who would question the general level of sanity among us here in the Lone Star State. No … in this case, it’s all about the nuts themselves … and not just any old nut, either.

Carya illinoinensis – more commonly known as the pecan – is a member of the Juglandaceae family, a worldwide gathering that includes several genera and many, MANY species. Until the 16th century, collection and consumption was a confined to native Americans in Mexico and southern portions of what would someday be the United States. Spanish explorers in these areas brought appreciation for the pecan back to Europe with them.

Back on this side of the pond, the passing of time and major changes in society did nothing to alter the pecan’s attraction. Thomas Jefferson grew trees of the Illinois nuts at Monticello, as did George Washington at Mount Vernon … well, at least they oversaw the growing of said trees on their plantations.

In 1919, the Texas Legislature officially designated Carya illinoinensis as the State Tree of Texas, and Native Pecan as State Nut. The town of San Saba, Texas proclaims itself to be “The Pecan Capital of the World” … and they have good cause for said claim – look it up!

Depending upon where you are, pecan nuts start dropping from the trees in mid-to-late fall. I’m one of many, MANY people who have been busy harvesting this year’s crop. On evenings that I’m at home, once dinner and dishes are done, I have a shelling station set-up in my living room, and I’m watching TV while working. I sort the shelled results by ‘whole halves’ or ‘pieces.’ Some results will go in the freezer for use in the months ahead, while the rest goes on the shelf for use now … pralines, pecan brittle, spicy party mix, and pecan pie.

A sad story I once heard at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, involved pecan pies …

It was November, 1963, and the Johnson Ranch was abuzz with activity. President John Kennedy was touring Texas. Following stops in San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin, Kennedy and his wife were going to visit the Johnson Ranch for a relaxing weekend as guests of Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his wife.

That included the baking of pecan pies for dessert that weekend - a special recipe created by Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, herself. Work in the kitchen and everywhere else halted at mid-day when they received news that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, followed shortly after with news that he had died, and later that Johnson had been sworn-in as President.

In the midst of all that, I was told, an employee reached up and stopped the clock in the kitchen where they had all heard the news of Kennedy’s murder … and you can still see that clock in the kitchen, set at that time, when you tour the park.

In so many ways – most of them wonderful, and at least one of them terrible – the pecan is a part of the Lone Star State, its history, its culture and its image …. and the reason I go nuts in Texas, year after year.

_____________________________

Here are links to some of my favorite pecan recipes …

PECAN BRITTLE: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pecan-brittle

SPICY PECANS: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46029/hot-and-spicy-pecans/

PECAN PIE: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1766-bourbon-pecan-pie

Slipping Back Into an Old Habit

I know, I know … this is that time of year for resolutions, for goals, for breaking away from habits and all. But for me, this time around, it’s a time to slip BACK into an old habit I once had.

It was almost two years ago, now, that I had enough of people commenting upon my appearance, and finally went to see the family doctor. I felt fine, really, but I decided to get a professional opinion.

Little did I know that I was stepping into the ring for the first round of my Texas Cancer Smackdown.

But that’s what it was. It’s an ongoing thing … starting with the initial problems that were fixed – and led to my cancer diagnosis. Then there was the surgery, the chemotherapy and many, MANY tests to check my progress – or lack thereof.

As an e-acquaintance of mine has noted on another forum, there’s a lot more to it than that as you – and everyone close to you – has to embrace a new normal. That was the case for me, as well, as I embraced a variety of changes to my normal … some of which I really hated.

One of those was blood donation. I had been a regular donor for more than 35 years, and it was important to me. And it became more important as people fell prey to fabricated scares of the process, and blood donations dropped. Another factor … I have blood type O-, the ‘universal blood type’ which can be transfused to almost anyone in need, regardless of their blood type.

All that came to an end two years ago, though. And it bugged the hell out of me, especially when the news would carry special pleas for donations from the Red Cross and the blood banks.

But now …

I finished my final chemotherapy infusion on January 1, 2017. Because of the type of cancer I had, I was not allowed to donate blood for one year … but I would be able to donate once again (with some types of cancer, you can’t, ever). The local donor center for United Blood Service is closed today. I could go in tomorrow, but one of the UBS staffers asked if I might come in when she’s there, on Wednesday … you got it!

This week, as others are resolving to break old habits, I’m going to embrace one … and I feel pretty damn good about that. I’m winning another round of my Texas Cancer Smackdown!

A Christmas tradition, of sorts ...

Even in the days of DVDs, when I could watch A Charlie Brown Christmas easily and inexpensively, whenever I wanted, I would still wait for the Christmas season to come around, so I could watch the broadcast, just as I did the first time it aired ... and have done every Christmas season since then.

Wellll ... at least until the last couple of years, when broadcasters made additional cuts to the original program. Made me glad I bought the DVD a while back ... I still wait for the Christmas season to come around ... I just watch it via a new medium.

I like the humor of the story, with characters and dialogue that doesn't drive adults out of the room, screaming ... and I like the fact that we are allowed to laugh - or not - spontaneously, without the urging of a laugh track.

And I LOVE the music! The soundtrack was composed by the late, great Vincent Guaraldi, and was performed by Guraraldi and his trio. It's one of my favorite holiday music albums, AND one of my favorite jazz albums.

And I like the idea that a story about Christmas has something to say about Christ ... with a wonderful delivery by Linus of Scripture from the Gospel of Luke (King James version, no less), answering Charlie Brown's question of 'what Christmas is all about.'



There are some wonderful anecdotes out there about the making (and the near UN-making) of "Charlie Brown Christmas," and how viewers and critics had the nerve to rear-up and roar-out their opinions of the show ... opinions that differed dramatically from what network executives had predicted.

Makes me wonder if such a cartoon special could be produced and aired on a major television network today ... I don't know ... maybe not. I remain a big fan of cartoons ... but I just don't see as much respect for viewers young and old as I see demonstrated in something like "Charlie Brown Christmas." And with contemporary cartoon production being what it is, would we ever again see a gathering of talent such as Charles Shultz (words), Bill Melendez (images) and Vince Guaraldi (music), all of whom were not only creators, but determined advocates for their project? Again ... I don't know ... maybe not.

Now, if there was just some way to add those old sponsor plugs for Coca-Cola and Dolly Madison.

I'm walkin', yes indeed …

I’ve been walking, lately. And I’ve been walking a lot more, getting out past my usual routes of recliner-to-frig, and car-to-office. And the funny thing is, I’m LIKING it.

I wasn’t always such a slug. In my younger, slimmer days – oh, about 500 years ago, or so – I worked as an archaeologist, covering a lot of ground each day in the course of surveys across the southwest. But with the passing of time and the change of careers, I became more sedentary. I’m not as young or as slim as I used to be.

Not as healthy, either. It’s been a year-and-a-half since I stepped into the ring for the first round of my Texas Cancer Smackdown. There was the initial hospital stay which oled to my cancer diagnosis … then there was the surgery, and the recuperation … then there was the chemotherapy. Nothing new there … but it an already sedentary lifestyle became even more so, with extended periods where I was unwilling – and sometimes unable – to move much.

Then there was earlier this year, when the initial chemotherapy round was completed and the side effects were wearing off – and I was feeling pretty good. What’s that old saying? “Ten-feet tall and bulletproof!” I was feeling so good I started doing stuff with a too much enthusiasm and WAY too little thought. All of which led to a fall from the roof of our dock, severe dislocation and minor fractures to my ankle, and several ribs fractured … and more downtime.

Oy vey!

The community college where I work supports a variety of activities to encourage and improve employee health. This month, they announced a walking challenge. Maybe it’s the ‘challenge’ part that got to me, but I signed-up … and started walking.

And started liking it … and started looking for more ways to get in more steps every day. I live just a few blocks from the campus where I work … and just a few blocks from church … and just a few blocks from the nearest convenience store. When I do take the car on errands, I park as far away from the entrance to the grocery store/pharmacy/concert hall/whatever.

Needless to say, there are advantages to all this walking. There’s added points for the challenge, of course, and improved health. But that’s not all. There’s more contact with my neighbors, and others I meet on the streets. I’m observing more and learning about the things I walk past, than I would if I were driving past at 35+ MPH. If something catches my attention and my interest, I can stop and enjoy it … again, more than I could if I were driving past at 35+ MPH.

And I’m free to think about all kinds of stuff. Last weekend, we had my brother-in-law and his fiancé over for dinner – the menu and the shopping list for it came together during a walk. Thoughts for what I would say at a church gathering were organized and practiced during a walk.

And the idea for composing this post came up during a walk.

I'm walkin', yes indeed!

All a-twitter over Twitter

I’m confronted with what one of my boys would call a “first world problem” …

Last week, Twitter launched an experiment, expanding the number of characters allowed on posts to 280 from the original limit of 140. The test, I read later, involves a small, random group of users (a single-digit percentage of the total users). It seems I’m one of the select few.

“We few, we happy few …”

Hmmmm, happy? Maybe not … at least, not in my case,. I rather liked the 140-character limit. It was a challenge to me. Could I communicate my thoughts successfully – and succinctly! – in my tweets? It required me to stretch my vocabulary, use punctuation more effectively, and move away from rambling rants and towards brief bullet-points.

Sort of a haiku for the new millenium.

I’ll be interested in learning the results of this experiment. For my part, I’ll be contributing to the 140-character end of the bell-shaped curve (or whatever) illustrating those results.

Just because I get twice as much space doesn’t mean I have to fill it. If I have more than can be said in 140 characters, I could always post something on “ArchaeoTexture.”

Added to my virtual bookshelf ... Kentucky Kaiju by Justin Stewart, Tressina Bowling and Shawn Pryor

I was a total neophyte in just about every way as I opened my e-copy of “Kentucky Kaiju.” Graphic literature (comic books, back then) was not allowed in my home when I was young; I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting the state of Kentucky and enjoying its culture; AND, I have never encountered a Kaiju … though that last might be a good thing, judging by the creatures presented to me in this book.


Through illustrations by Justin Stewart and Tressina Bowling, and accompanying text by Shawn Pryor, “Kentucky Kaiju” takes readers on a tour of Kentucky that somehow did not make it into the pages of the state’s official tourism/visitor guidebooks.

Are there any Gojira/Godzilla fans out there, reading this? Imagine what might happen to the critters (domestic and wildlife) caught between a pair of massive explosions – one from a nuclear reactor, and the other from a massive bourbon distillery. What might emerge from that glowing and flavorful fallout?

“Kentucky Kaiju” has the answer.

At just fifty pages, with much of each page taken up by a single illustration, it may seem like a quick read. But I recommend taking your time with each page, preferably with a glass of your favorite Kentucky ‘sip’ close to hand. The illustrations by Stewart and Bowling are first-rate, and you’ll want to keep an eyes out for small details that add to the story of the Kaiju being presented, and to your enjoyment of that story.

The same is true of Pryor’s text … we’re not talking mere captions here. Once again – take your time, and enjoy yourself.

The closing page of the book assures readers that “‘Kentucky Kaiju’ Will Return” … I’m looking forward to it!
__________

NOTE: I received a free e-copy of this work through LibraryThing in exchange for a review.